Zhang Zuolin , born in 1873 with Haicheng, province of the Liaoning and deceased in 1928, is a Seigneur of the war Chinese.

Biography

Zhang Zuolin, lord of the war of Mandchourie of the Years 1920, owes its posterity as well with its prevalent political place as with the sanguinary character with which it cut through his path. Representing the collapse of the imperial order, unbounded autocracy that it founds in Mandchourie, fact of him an typical example among the lords of the war.

Among the lords of the war, Zhang Zuolin belongs to the second generation. The first, well-read woman, consist of imperial soldiers to the capacity at the time of the revolution of 1911. Zhang, of a family of Chinese peasants, reaches the military capacity by-paths.

A soldier in Mandchourie

It is recruited in 1895 by the Chinese army, for the war against the Japan. The defeat of China vis-a-vis old vassal, is cuisante. Zhang Zuolin, which deserted, becomes chief of a band of criminals in Mandchourie. In 1905, it engages of with dimensions Japanese in the Guerre Russo-Japanese woman, from where the Japanese leave once again victorious. This victory upsets the Western ethnocentric designs: the Asian ones, for the first time, carried it in a modern war. Although officially Chinese, Mandchourie passes in the Japanese sphere of influence. Zhang Zuolin made known there of the Japanese. It gains an official statute while taking part in the repression of the revolutionary movement of 1911. In 1915, it has enough to be able to make drive out the civil governor of Mandchourie and take its place. Its position is officialized by the president Yuan Shikai who then needs his military support. It is named military governor of the Fengtianun, territory corresponding roughly to the province of Liaoning, in 1916.

A soldier with the report heading: wars for Beijing

Zhang Zuolin, control in the north of Beijing one of most imposing armed Chinese. In Beijing, the political game is militarized between the various chiefs, an army such as that of Zhang Zuolin provides a considerable support. The sets of alliances between chiefs profit in Zhang Zuolin which joins CAD Kun, from the party from the Zhili, against the president of the Republic, Duan Qirui, representing party Anfou. Winner, it thus shares the capacity with CAD Kun during two years. The war bursts then between these two parties, Zhang loses it, takes refuge behind the great wall on its field, where thanks to the Japanese financial supports, it reconstitutes its military forces. In 1924, it attacks Beijing again, and gains quickly, thanks to the treason of a military chief of Zhili, the “Christian general” Feng Yuxiang. Meanwhile, it extended its field to part of Mongolia and past certain agreements with the Soviet on the railways of Mandchourie, as a Head of autonomous State would have done it.

In 1924, it installs with the report heading Duan Qirui, which does not have any more any capacity and which flees two years later, frightened projections of troops of Feng Yüxiang. The war began again between the allies of the day before, and Feng, which loses, must flee in Russia where on the councils of Soviet, it decides to be combined with the nationalist of Canton which have just launched the Expédition of North ( Beifa ). This movement of reconquest aims at abolishing the domination of the lords of the war on the Chinese territory. Zhang Zuolin gives up Beijing in 1928, but dies on train its deprived at the time of its retirement in Mandchourie in an attack which a Japanese military faction had organized.

His/her son Zhang Xueliang (1901-2001) succeeded to him.